Never Again
by Chaotic Heart
Summary: "I never imagined he'd go so far.Now we're here...and we're stuck.My brother's a maniac,and he's willing to do anything to make sure we dont get out alive."The host club is up a set of twins,and for Halloween? They decid to have the ultimate scare. KaoxOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Soo... the first time I posted this, I completely forgot to mention some things. I.E.: Disclaimer. ... So yeah. Thats down below. I'm only going to put it once, because that's all they use in books, movies, the ends of tv shows, etc. So one is all I'll be needing. **

**ALSO! The title has a reason XD. I already had most of it finished, and I wasn't sure on what I was going to call this stupid fic (its not tsupid, but naming it sure as hell was) and usually listening to music helps. Well... I was listening to Nickelback. And usually they have... really raunchy... songs. But I hadn't heard this one before (it came with the album) and it really... really,really, reallyreallyreally...**

**Sounded exactly like the story.**

**SO! If you wanna cheat and kind of see what the story is going to consist of (except the first line of the bridge. That WILL NOT HAPPEN. ('father's a name you haven't earned yet) go look up "Never Again" by Nickelback! XD **

**!Disclaimer!  
I in no way, shape, or form own the song that this fic is named after, I do not own Kaoru, Tamaki, or anyone else in the Host Club nor do I own the franchise. that all belongs to Bisco. (Cept the song! That belongs to whoever...^_^') And I don't own any mention of other anime characters, nor do I own Hogwarts. I DO OWN KYUKI, YOUKO, AND YUU!**

Three months to the date. That's when my brother and I came to this club… I still somewhat remember it like the whole fiasco that ensued… happened just the other day.

"_Youko! Now! Come __**on**__ you foolish slug of a girl. I have to be home by five, and I can't wait on you and your slow study habbits," vented my elder (by five point seven minutes) twin brother._

'_Jeeze, Yuu. If you're going to just snap, please, do it softly.' I thought as I rolled my eyes. I turned the corner faster than I had anticipated, and bound up the stairs before my brother could yell. Around him, anything I did was too slow, or too stupid. In actuality, I made five grade points higher than him in all subjects… minus math._

_Around another corner and down a few more corridors, I finally found what was rumored to be abandoned during the day._

'_Aha!' I thought to myself, 'finally, peace and quiet. And Yuu hasn't caught up to me yet – the abandoned music room three! I just have to get out before that club comes and…' I stopped my thoughts, for I had opened the door, and a wild array of roses greeted my eyes, followed soon after by a blinding white light. _

_And then – chaos._

_But I'd have preferred the chaos over Yuu's ranting, so I stepped inside the vast room and made myself invisible. After successfully hiding myself in a plant (it wasn't my best idea)I took in my chaotic surroundings._

_From the far corner, my eyes caught sight of a tall, eccentric blonde male running around yelling about 'damn twins and their antics'. From what I could tell, the blonde wasn't that bright, and more or less would be fun to play with. Behind him sat a much, much more collected individual. He was so stony, he almost reminded me of Yuu. The way his glasses glinted in the light made him seem a little too eager for… danger? Evil? I wasn't too sure. The young male was simply staring at a notebook, calmly taking notes and nodding his head to the blonde's outrageous display of stupidity. _

'_Yuu would hate it in here' I thought with a smile on my face. 'Maybe I should come here more often.' _

_Two ginger-headed boys – 'Twins!' – were chasing around a smaller brunette male (who looked far too feminine to be a dude.) I momentarily forgot my hiding to let out a tiny giggle. _

_Right as the twins were passing by. _

_And they didn't say a word. Now, I do believe the two gingers were Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, the other set of twins in my class. And Yuu's._

'_Can't forget about Yuu, now, can we?' I thought with great distaste. Though Yuu was my brother, I never once thought of him as such, 'I'm telling you, conscience, I'm going to kill that ma- __**boy**__ one day if its –'_

_But, my hate-fueled musings were interrupted when I felt warm breath down my neck. I gulped, audibly so, and whirled around, thinking that Yuu had finally found me. Upon closer inspection, however, I discovered that it was not my raven-haired twin, but rather, a ginger-haired twin instead. The one with the right part. He was smirking, and his golden eyes shone with a sparkle that usually meant trouble (at least in my brother's stark blue ones they did.)_

'_Hmm… he isn't as menacing as the other, somehow. This one must be Kaoru. He speaks higher, and has the part on the right...and … I'm not sure why I know that. '_

"_You know, I'm not so sure why they're allowing people to just walk through the front gates but… you really don't need to be running around campus. You might just end up…" his face was inches from my neck, "hurt."_

'_I've been wrong before,' my mind reminded me._

_Suddenly, the ginger's soft hair found itself nuzzled into my cheek, and I stumbled backwards – right into that plant I was __**supposed**__ to be hiding in. And it broke._

_And soil went __**everywhere**__. I mean ev. Ry. Where. That abandoned music room was abandoned for a reason, before this twisted club even dared to have started, because gravity and physics liked to fly out of the window and go to Pluto for a few years whenever it came to this room. The most seemed to miss most of the props that were set up, but then… a rather large, watery clump landed riiiiight on top of that really… uh…_

_Well. There's a word for what he is. (Apparently, logic likes to join physics and gravity on Pluto as well.)_

_The blonde one. _

_Oh… the insanity that ensued. It was so funny, watching the blonde scream about 'his precious Haruhi' and his clothes and the twins for breaking the pot. (Obviously, he was half right.) The black haired boy simply sat back and nodded, scribbling down more notes. Or doing calculations. The brunette and other ginger (I'm just going to safely say that would be Haruhi and Hikaru) had calmed down from their previous game of chase. Haruhi was muttering under his breath; Hikaru was on the floor, howling with laughter. _

_What made it funnier? I was watching it from upside down._

'_Wow, I really __**do**__ need to come here more often, and find a better hiding spot. Maybe Kaoru will help me now that … oh… that wouldn't be the smartest thing in the world to do, now, would it be, Ko? No. No, it wouldn't be,' I kept that conversation going for a while. _

_So much so that I failed to notice Kaoru's awkward position on top of me, the way his face was still nuzzled in my neck, or the fact that he wasn't __**getting up**__. I also failed to notice that the large double doors had opened to reveal a very disshevelled and very pissed-off Yuu – and he was looking directly at moi._

"_**KO!"**__ I heard, and instantly flinched. Looking over to my brother, I narrowed my eyes before reflexively widening them in fear. No matter if he was my brother or not, I still feared him._

_A shadow above my face made me glance up. Two faces stared down at me – a smirking Hikaru, and a very unhappy black haired, glasses-wielding, black-book-holding, scary teen. _

'_Oh shit.'_

"_Well, 'Ko', you seem to have caused quite the damage here to our club's facilities and props. And, since these are mostly rented items and I have paid good money to see that said items are safely imported here… the pot, tree, costume that was ruined, cake that was soiled – quite literally, might I add – and various props that will need to be cleaned, not to mention the cleaning of the room itself… has earned you quite the hefty price tag. I hope you are a student here, Ko, because you'll need that money to pay all that off," he stated, all in a very down-to-business manner, and rather curt._

'_First day back in God knows how long and I've already gotten myself into trouble. Good grief,'_

"_Kaoru? Honestly? Did I do something wrong, or are you just… expanding your options?" Well, that confirmed that the boy laying on my chest was Kaoru. _

_By that time, Yuu had decided it was time to intervene with his stupid ass brain of his, and knocked Hikaru away from the pile of soil I was in. He continued by gathering the still-nuzzled-into-my-neck Kaoru up off of me, and threw him into… was that a miniature koi pond in a music room?_

'_The hell?'_

_And it had soil in it._

"_The hell did you do now, Youko? Better not think I'll let Kyuki come to your rescue this time, now come on! We've already missed the bus, and I've told you twice that I want to be home by five! Its four now!" Yuu bellowed. I just closed my eyes._

"_Ah, so the two of you are Yuu and Youko Makumoto?" said Glasses, "The two of you are exceptionally intelligent, judging by your GPA, although this is only your first year in Ouran Academy… and… Youko was just released from my family's hospital, am I correct, __**Miss**__ Youko?"_

_There was an emphasis on the 'miss', and then there was a gasp from the koi pond. And behind Yuu. And a really over-exaggerated one from behind Glasses. A faint sigh could be heard from where Haruhi stood._

'_No effin' way did they all think I was a dude.'_

"_Minor sergury. No biggie. Now, if you know __**that**__ much about us, you'll know that the Makumoto's __**aren't the richest family in the opera house.**__ So how the hell do you expect me to pay it off?" I snapped back. I still hadn't gotten up, but I did glance to see if Kaoru was alright. He had managed to stand up, and was climbing out of the pond, staring at me with a look of wonder on his face. _

'…_hell no. HE THOUGHT I WAS A DUDE! WE ARE IN THE SAME CLASS!'_

_**And, don't forget, he was on your chest.**_

'_Shut up.'_

"_Oh, Miss Makumoto, you yourself will not be paying it off alone. Yuu and yourself, providing the twins can make you look masculine enough, will be servicing us as hosts and our own personal dogs. At least until you pay up,"_

_I looked from Glasses, with the evil glint and the cold smile, to Yuu, also with an evil glint behind his own glasses and a very-non-attractive scowl on his face. _

_Oh shit._

I smiled faintly at the memory. It was as if I was supposed to be a dude.

_Now that would be weird._

Since that day, however, I had become the Hitachiin twins' object of amusement. Well, Kaoru's, at least. He would always pop up, usually with Hikaru, but… sometimes it seemed as if he came on his accord. And when he did, it was always… odd…

_I turned a corner to wind up at music room number three. I bit the inside of my cheek – even after two weeks of hosting, I wasn't used to calling myself simply 'Ko' or a host. It never fit me – and Yuu wasn't very happy about it either…_

'_Forget about Yuu, you idiot! He doesn't control your life!' the more rebellious side of my conscience yelled out, 'Uh, yeah… he does,' I replied._

_I winced when a hand touched my shoulder, because despite the shoulder padding in my borrowed male uniform, the wound and bruise there still hurt like hellfire if something so much as grazed it. I turned to see Kaoru, with an oddly worried – but still mischievous – look to his eyes._

"_Oh… its just you, Kaoru. Sorry. I haven't really been getting that much sleep lately… hehe…," I said with a smile on my face. '__**You are **__**such**__** a faker!**__' my conscience sang._

_Kaoru's brow only furrowed more._

"_How… how do you know it's always me? How do you know I'm not Hikaru?"_

_This time I truly smiled at him;_

"_Simple. It's a twin thing. I'm a twin, Kaoru. I know what to look for. And besides, you're more calm anyways. It shows, subtly, in the way you walk and such. And you're not the one chasing Haruhi, either. And your voices are different," I stated simply._

_Kaoru only cocked an eyebrow at my statement, and walked on inside the music room. He'd been popping up without his brother as of late, always asking if I was alright. Scared me half to death most of those times, too. _

'_**No, you're not alright. Tell him, you stupid dolt. If you don't tell **__**him**__**, and the other one doesn't care – who the hell will listen?**__' my inner demon rifled at me. I sighed and walked in after Kaoru, ignoring the torture that my logical side like to the throw at me._

"_Kaoru?"_

"_Yeah, Ko?"_

"_Uhm… what is it that Boss has in mind for us this time?" I said upon finding most of the props – including a new plant pot - to be of… rather outlandish colours. Of course, the whole school is mostly pink… but still. Purple? Orange? Green?_

_Was the theme of the day famous child molesters? (I had a certain distaste for Barney the Disnosaur)_

"_Hmm," I heard Kaoru musing from across the vast music room, "Looks like its Arabian. Again. The only difference that could possibly make it exciting is for someone to fight – or put you and Haruhi in a bellydancer costume…" he trailed off, having the usual bored look he and Hikaru usually wore. I didn't notice the side glance he gave me – I was too busy rolling my eyes._

"_Why are you here, anyways, Ko-chan? I didn't think gymn ended for a while… thirty minutes, actually," he said, taking an awkward pose against an Arabian stone/sand pillar… thing. _

"_Why are __**you**__ here, Kaoru? Lunch doesn't end for another thirty minutes," I retaliated._

_I saw Kaoru's eyes lock up for a moment, as if he'd been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. Which, technically, he wasn't. Lost of students, after lunch period, went off to go study in the libraries. Or flirt. Whichever suited the room. Most just flirted. With the host club._

"_Hikaru's out chasing after Haruhi. Its been… a long time since she's joined the host club, Youko, and its obvious that he still cares but… Sometimes Haruhi's more oblivious than Boss about her feelings – she doesn't make anything easy," he said dejectedly, "I don't know how you and Yuu work, but – Hikaru'salwaysbeenthere!" he blurted out, and was about to continue until I put a hand over his mouth. I had half a mind to pull the same daring little neck trick on him, but decided I'd rather not become a slut._

"_Hey, calm down! I was just asking. Yuu and I don't get along – at all. So I don't know what its like to be left or alone or have.. a twisted-twincestual relastionship going on. Twin or not, we're two polar opposites, gender differences aside. My hair isn't even black; its white. I dyed it as a last minute attempt to blend in, since not many student have stark white hair, y'know?" I said with narrowed eyes._

_Turning from Kaoru, who was left in a state of – presumably – shock, I rummaged through one of the boxes. I continued to dig through the piles before successfully retrieving two items – a bag of neatly folding clothes with a tag sporting 'Youko' on it, and one sporting "Kaoru" on it. I threw the bag with with Kaoru's name on it to him, told him to get ready, and walked towards a dressing room in the back I heard the curtain next to me shift soon afterwards. _

"_Hey… Youko – you never told me why you're here. You didn't opt out of gymn, did you?"_

"_I can't do gymn, Kaoru. I'm not allowed to, by hospital orders. It doesn't really matter anyways: I'm fit enough,"_

_I stepped into the outfit – red silk ballon-ish pants. They were kinda accurate, actually. Not obnoxiously ballooning, but not hanging limp either. Next was the shirt, just as I was beginning to tug my Ouran blazer off, Kaoru decided to speak again._

"_That surgery kept you in the hospital for two years? What was it for anyways?If it keeps you from just running around, I mean…"_

"_Kaoru," I sighed, pulling my undershirt off and yelping when the fabric tugged at the home-made stitches and bandages on my shoulder, "Uhm, tell you what, I'll tell you if can make some sleeves for this jacket-thingie – you __**can**__ sew, right?" I asked, tugging my undershirt back on – being more careful with the bandages – and examined the beautiful work put into the overcoat to my outfit. As far as my little knowledge of Arabian culture went, I was supposed to be of royalty. Well gee, we're at Ouran. I don't think the chicks will fawn over a pauper…_

"_Youko? I'm coming in –"_

"_DAH! WAIIIT!" I yelled, trying to pull my jacket over my right shoulder – and then Kaoru just waltzed in. He looked at me as if to say 'what? You're clothed.' And then noticed what I had failed to cover. I was tugging the blazer over my __**left**__ shoulder. Apparently, I can't differentiate between my let and right, because that was __**not **__the shoulder that should've been covered._

"_Youko! Y-you'r- what the hell is that?" Kaoru decided to stammer out. He only stared at my shoulder in awe, like it was spouting out white angel wings or something. I smiled sheepishly at his now accusing glare… before I realized that all that consisted of Kaoru's cosplay was pants. No shoes, either. I stayed determined not to blush._

"_Please, just… make the sleeve. And I'll tell you why I'm not partaking in gymn, okay?"_

"_Y-yeah… sure," Kaoru looked almost unnerved by the sight. I admit, I could never properly bandage myself, but… was it __**that**__ bad? I smiled sheepishly once more as I sat there, just twiddling my thumbs as Kaoru went off to find either gold or red gauze to make the sleeves out of._

_I leaned my head back and sighed again, realizing how much effort it took to gain a deep breath. I scrunched my nose in slight frustration, and pushed my glasses back up to the bridge of my nose. My fingers automatically went to my heart and I haunched forward, the feeling of my heart's steady beating altercated drastically. _

_**Ba-dump, ba-dump…. Ba-ba-ba-dump **__it felt like my heart failed to keep its own rhythm, like a new drummer trying to keep with a steady beat. My heart clenched itself before stopping, if only for a brief few moments, then clenching itself again .It was unnatural, it was painful. I felt myself collapse to the floor, my back having arched so much from the pain I literally pushed myself from the bench I had been sitting on._

_I guess that's when Kaoru found me, because I felt my upper half – my face – being cradled into something warm and soft._

"_Its okay," I heard. And then I heard nothing._

**AN: **

**So yeah, its been a long time since I've uploaded anything. My other stories have been taken down, really. But anyways, I wanted to write a oneshot. And not one of those really crappy ones that are only like... 2,000 words or something like that. I wanted to write a really long one.**

**I made it too long.**

**So its going to be a bit of a short story.**

**R&R por favor! Donka and seyanora!**


	2. Chapter 2

"_Its okay," I heard. And then I heard nothing._

That day, Kaoru learned I was sick. Really sick. I guess Hikaru found out about it soon afterwards, because he stopped giving me so much grief about Yuu knocking him down. I had a heart problem – it apparently wasn't genetic, but if one sibling had it, chances were that the others would too. Kyuki, my brother, was the only one in the family that new. And he was the only one that would know.

I was sitting painfully close to Yuu, so close that I could feel the rumbling in his chest when he breathed. A fearsome young man indeed… Kaoru caught my eye, and the look he gave screamed worry. I almost laughed at his paranoia, but I couldn't, seeing as my ribs were bruised.

Hosting hours had already passed. We had decided that it was time to decide what we would do Saturday (tomorrow!) for Halloween (tomorrow!). Hani-sempai suggested a cake-themed sleepover. Most denied. Hikaru and Kaoru suggested a haunted house, but no one knew where one nearby was. Tamaki vouched for a local 'commoners' convention' that was being held.

"Hey!" I spoke up, "There … dahh… there's a fair nearby my house – its pretty big. Haunted house, hayride, games, ferris wheel. The lot. Its simple, but it'd be fun. I've been to it a few times… before I went to the hospital. Its scary as hell!" I giggled.

"Tch," came the usual rebuttal (I sweatdropped) of my brother, "if you're wanting something… scary… there's a house down the street from Youko's and mine's house. We technically own the property, but we haven't been able to restore it to its former glory. Three stories, ancient god shrine. The lot's huge – and the neighbors claim it's haunted."

"Eh… Nii-san? Really? I don't think broth –"

"I'm sure I can get him to comply, Youko. I'm going home, tell me what the verdict is," and with that, the devil himself waltzed out of the of the music room.

"Bastard," I muttered under my breath.

"Ahhhh! What a splendid idea! Youko, if it's alright, we'll all drop by your house about five, and then we'll all go to the fair together! After that, we can spend the night in that haunted shrine of yours! How does that sound? Everyone? AH! Haurhi? Why are you shaking you head!" By now, Tamaki had vanished and reappeared in several different areas of the music room, and had also gone to cultivate his famous mushrooms over in a corner.

Once the Boss had calmed down enough to where he was… sane… I suppose…. We all OK'd the idea for meeting at my house about 5 o'clock, then we'd head over to the fair about sunset time; ride the haunted mansion and hayride, and proceed to spend the night in the spooked shrine down the road.

I gathered my stack of books (a recent visit to the hospital had taken a chunk out of my grades, and I needed help getting caught up) and turned to head out the door when a hand stopped me. Turning, I saw Kaoru smiling at me; not that weird… gay smiley thingie he does during hosting hours. It was just a cute smile.

I cocked an eyebrow.

"Yesh?" I asked.

"Y'know, you're less tense when Yuu isn't around… is it becau –"

"Listen; Yuu's clueless. He doesn't know about my heart, he doesn't know about you, he doesn't even know that the whole host club knows what he does; and he doesn't know about my plans of staying with Tamaki until legal matters are settled out," I muttered disdainfully.

"…Tamaki-sempai? I thought – "

"If I stayed with you and Hikaru, Kaoru, Yuu would know. I don't think he remembers the way to where Tamaki stays, away from the main estate. Don't worry," I smiled, and this time he joined in, wrapping one arm around my shoulders.

"C'mon, I'll walk you home. Hikaru ran off with Haruhi anyways."

While we walked, we spoke for most of the time. I suppose you would call it… dating? Maybe. But secret walks home and skipping gymn (even though I had to) and lunch to see each other without the host club breathing down our necks… it wasn't much. And no weekend plans, unless it was _with_ the host club. But, usually that meant doing something extreme; which, by default, I had to opt out of. So Kaoru and I would go get icecream or something while Hikaru teased Haruhi about…. Whatever practical solution she had and Tamaki yelled for his daughter(s), Kyouya (I LEARNED HIS NAAME!...Yay) would just smile – and even though he never verbally said anything, I could tell Kyouya was happy about being in this chaos. Yuu would just sit back and grumble – sometimes not even partake. "Take the useless thing and go," he'd say, then lounge on the couch and watch old horror flicks. Hani and Mori-sempai were always sympathetic towards my lack of participation whenever Kyouya would take us to one of his family's water parks and/or amusement parks.

In away, the host club had become my family that shouldn't be. And I liked it. A lot.

_Like when mom and dad were around…_

"Hey," Kaoru gently proded my side. I started.

"Y-yeah?" I tried to laugh.

"You've been spacing out for the last few blocks – you alright, Youko?" he asked, a frown placed on his clear-skinned face. It didn't suit him – he should be smiling… with his brother; the mischievous little devil types they were known for.

"Youko," Kaoru said it more urgently now. His hand dropped from my shoulders down to my left hand, mindful of a bruise that had formed on my wrist.

"Sorry, Kaoru. I've just been thinking." Kaoru turned towards me.

"About what?"

"I just wish I wasn't sick. Yuu? Yuu I could handle if it wasn't for this stupid heart. I can't…I don't know when its coming an –"

"Which is why we're doing this in the first place," Kaoru said calmly, which was odd. He usually freaked out whenever I mentioned my brother and his antics.

_**Oh yeah, because you can so totally call –**_

_Didn't I tell you to shut up a long time ago?_

I suddenly found myself buried in Kaoru's chest, his nose pressed against the top of my hair. For a moment, I allowed shock to keep me stiff, and then I relaxed into his grip. His lips were mouthing words I couldn't hear, and one hand was rubbing circles on my back. I allowed myself to smile, leaning into his embrace.

_I really do care, which is why I'm telling you to not get close…_

_**You doing it to save him? Or your own hide from your brother? I'll betcha he'll even let Ky –**_

_SHUT THE FUCK UP!_

I felt my eye twitch. I broke from Kaoru's comforting embrace, only to take his hand and start running. We still had two more blacks until we reached my house – he didn't have to turn around until he got to the corner. I laughed when he struggled to keep up; and eventually he did too.

_Sometimes, its nice to just have someone to take care of you…_

When Kaoru and I reached the corner, one block before my house even appeared, we said our goodbyes. He told me he'd come to the house early, maybe around lunch. I denied – I planned on going to the market just as soon as I woke up. He offered to meet me, but once again I declined it. His eyebrows knotted themselves together and I found myself with arms thrown around his neck.

Then, with a quick, fake smile; I bounded off around the corner, completely aware of the fact that Kaoru was telling me not to run.

_Yeah, well. I feel alright right now, buddy._

_I had woken up from the attack that afternoon, at the hospital. The bright lights were too cliché-ingly blinding me – I could only tell that, by the looks of ginger hair bobbing at my side, that a twin was next to me. Holding my hand? I couldn't really distinguish the feel of an IV from a hand holding my own. _

'_Gosh… I'm out of it today.' I thought woozily._

_Trying – and failing – to focus my eyesight on the ginger twin, I spoke:_

"_Gyah, which one are you? I can't tell – speak." The twin just laughed and I thought I felt a hand on my forehead too. _

"_Its me, Ko. Kaoru," said the twin. The hand fell to my cheek._

"_You had everyone worried, y'know?I just came back in with some gauze to make your sleeve and… and .. God, Youko. You were freezing," Kaoru choked on the last sentence._

'_Don't cry,' I thought, 'because then I'll start, and its going to be a very confusing scene to stumble upon if someone dared to enter this room.'_

_**You worry about the damnedest things, you know that, Ko?**_

'_I told you to shut up a long time ago, devil.'_

"_I'm fine, see? I'm awake. I'm breathing," I laughed lightly._

"_AHHHH! MY DAUGHTER!" _

_And in ran Tamaki, who paused upon seeing how close Kaoru's face was to mine. And then he proceeded to rant about how close the ginger haired twin was to me and on and on about Kaoru being just as wolfish as his brother._

_Kaoru blushed, and I could see now that my vision hadn't blurred as much that he was smiling at the Boss's speech._

_With a blink, however, the rest of the Host Club had stormed into the room along with my oldest brother, Kyuki. He was conversing with Kyouya on whether or not I should be allowed to leave tonight, or be ordered to stay overnight and miss the next day of school. I struggled to sit, playfully batting Kaoru's hands away from my own, and went straight to glare mode._

_Pushing my glasses from the tip of my nose to the bridge of it, I shot a look to Tamaki, who shut up accordingly. He stood in the back of the white room, eyeing Kaoru's closeness even as I sat up, and occasionally (I didn't fail to catch this every time) the same look was shot to Hikaru, who I just noticed was holding Haruhi's hand… Then proceeded to vanish and reappear in his new mushroom-cultivating corner._

'_So that's how it works. Gravity, physics, and logic, FLEE to Pluto whenever they see __**Tamaki**__…'_

"_Ko-chan?" I look to the left of my bed to find Hani and Mori-sempai standing next to me, "Why didn't you tell us you were sick? I would've offered you more cake!" Hani was about in tears, and I couldn't help but laugh a bit at the sight. He was just too cute! And way too short for his age… but still! Too cute!_

"_Kyouya-sempai knew. You could've just asked h-"_

"_So you just continued on with life, just like that? Thinking that it would be fine?" I was caught off guard by Kaoru's outburst, "We're a family, Youko. We don't keep secrets like this from others. What if I hadn't been in there with you? What about that? Could you have gotten up? Would you have even been able to call for hel-"_

"_Kaoru, that's enough."_

_Ah. Haruhi was my saving grace. Usually. But this time, it was Hikaru who told Kaoru to hold his tongue. I felt his hand snake back into mine and squeeze._

'_Hikaru's always been there!' the memory flashed across my retinas, and I suddenly felt guilty at the way I had thought the model-quality teen had just been skipping out on a meal._

_Guilt washed my body as the nurse told everyone to get out. Kyuki was the first to go, saying that he'll come back soon as he could to pick me up. Kyouya knelt down to my bed, a small smile on his face as he pushed his own glasses up, stating that he'd arranged for me to be released early that morning, so that way I could make it to the Host Club._

_Did I mention that Kyouya was evil?_

_Mori and Hani –sempai said goodbye, Hani (to the astonishment of everyone) leaving Usa-chan to keep me company after my "scary attack." Really, the boy was adorable. Tamaki only left when Haruhi and Hikaru pushed him out the door (and managed to pull him away from his newest mushroom corner). Hikaru yelled at his mirror image, jokingly, to not do anything stupid._

_The nurse looked from me to Kaoru, now that the three of us were the only ones in the room, nodded, and said, "Just a few minutes, alight? She needs to sleep if Mr. Ootori deems her to be fit enough to leave in the morning. Its eight right now."_

_And then Kaoru and I were alone. _

"_Youko… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I just… you… I thought –"_

"_Kaoru? Shut up. I'm okay… I'm not dead, I'm not deathly ill –"_

"_Yes you are! Your heart stops beating, and you haven't told anybody! Your brother said that even Yuu didn't know about it!" He yelled. I thought Kaoru was the calm one…?_

"_Ouch! That hurts, Kaoru! That's my hand…" I trailed off as he released my hand instantly and pushed up the sleeve of my hospital gown (that was three sizes too large) and exposed the freshly stitched and bandaged gash on my shoulder. About one inch outside the bandage, you could easily see a dark purple spot growing from underneath it. A bruise. His hand found my forehead once again. _

"_No one else saw. I want to know what happened, Ko. You've shown up with scrapes and cuts, small bruises and other things before. You think I haven't noticed? Even Hikaru and Tamaki have noticed, Ko. I noticed, the day I knocked you into the plant, that when Yuu had knocked Hikaru back… I felt you tense up. I know you're terrified of him. Youko, is it Yuu that's doing this to you?" Kaoru's hair was once again at my cheek – very similarly to the first day I met the Host Club._

"_Kaoru… just… don't tell Yuu about this, alright? He'll think I just knocked myself out tripping down the stairs. And, please, tell the others that too… promise, Kaoru?"_

"_I'll never understand you, Youko Makumoto."_

I missed dinner. Again. That's what happens when you opt to leave with the rest of the Host Club. Because my brother works night shifts at his company, we usually ate earlier than normal. Like, at five thirty. It took an hour to walk home. Kyuki was already gone. I gulped upon walking into the kitchen, fully expecting to find Yuu standing there with a knife or some other object of torture.

"_I know you're terrified of him."_

I stepped timidly over to the fridge and pulled out a salad. I didn't flinch when I felt Yuu behind me, his hands sneaking around my waist, his nose burying itself in my hair. _No…_ I could feel evidence of what would surely happen tonight at my back. I could feel cold metal against my shoulder – the right one, the one that had almost healed comepletely.

_Not anymore…_

I couldn't hold back a scream at the pain of the knife in my shoulder. His hands were skilled with a knife – and he twisted the blade around in my shoulder as he moved it down and around my bone, the very tip cutting into muscle and etching scratches into my bones.

I closed my eyes – I didn't want this to happen. Not now… it just happened last night.

_At least let me eat first, you ass. They'll kill you, because tomorrow, I'll let everyone know that I'm tired of this life. Mori-sempai will… I hope. Or at least Kaoru'll knock your head off. I'll make him… or something. God, just STOP!_

I screamed again, and was soon after pushed into the refrigerator and my head slammed against the side. Yuu slammed the fridge door against my head, yelling in frustration.

What the hell was I supposed to do? Just keep quiet?

_I'll put a blade to your shoulder, kick you, beat you fucking bloody senseless and see how the fuck __**you**__ like it, arse!_

And I lost myself to ranting and screaming.

_About a month and a half ago, the Host Club decided to attend a dance… one where there weren't any students from Ouran. Everyone had agreed on taking an early weekend (that started on a Wednesday) and fly out to London for a ball that both required masks and rather… voluptuous old-fashioned dresses. Even Haruhi got forced into one._

_I was standing out on the balcony, slowly swirling a glass of sparkling cider, admiring the way the glass crystal sparkled in the candle light. Everything was going smoothly – despite the fact that Yuu had even vouched on going on this trip. He and I were forced to share a room, even though Hikaru and Kaoru had told him that he could stay with them (Haruhi had a room to herself… lucky.) And you know what? His little 'games' didn't end at home, either. Of course, it wasn't a knife or anything this time… but he was more than capable of slapping me without making too much noise. _

_Taking a moment from my swirling of my drink, I stared down into the cliché-d pond that had been strategicly placed in the courtyard below me. I could see my reflection amidst the stars of the night sky; fireworks went off somewhere in the background, illuminating my white gown (The twins had produced it for me, saying that it was their mother's latest creation) and my white root-rot. (I hadn't dyed it since my first day back at Ouran. It was growing out… fast…)_

_The gown I wore was simple enough; floor-length silk, the kind that didn't really poof out at the waist. It spread out like a flower when I had spun for the Club to analyze it. It was strapless, but long, lace sleeves attachted at my middle finger and wound all the way up past my elbows. My dyed raven hair had been pulled up into a curled bun, strands falling and framing my face along with my bangs. I'd left those straight, and (with Yuu's reluctant permission) dyed the ends white to match my roots. It was the fake kind, that usually came out in the shower. _

_And of course, light makeup. Just to cover a bruise on my cheekbone._

_I yelped, swirled, and slapped the person whose arms suddenly appeared at my side. I also dropped my drink into the pond below, the sparkling cider inside dissolving into the dark water._

"_Ow! …. Daughter? How could you slap your own fat-" I slapped my hand over Tamaki's mouth, rolling my eyes and saying sorry._

"_Kaoru told me about Yuu, Youko," he started, "and I've got to say; its not really fair to hold out on telling your own twin about things like this."_

_I sweat dropped. Visibly. HOW IN THE HELL WE LIVE IN DO YOU EVEN THINK THAT?_

"_Tamaki-sempai, its not that I don't want him to know its just…"_

"_Ko? You useless thing! Where are yo – there you are, Youko! (Enter fake, big brother smile) I need to talk to you… uhm… alone?" I could tell that the Devil himself was having issues controlling his right-hand minion's second personality. _

_And then I realized that Tamaki still had a hand on my waist, and my slapping-hand had rested on his shoulder._

'_Dah… I was supposed to be with the twins, not the insane Boss… damnit.' _

_Talk about awkward. But as much as I wanted to NOT be in that awkward position, I'd rather have been hitched against a wall, with Tamaki's tongue shoved down my throat than go with Yuu alone. Anywhere. _

_And as my luck would have it – he took me to a hallway, wayyyy away from the main crowd f the ball. Most participants didn't even speak with us – we were all a lot younger and (with the exception of Tamaki, Kyouya, Haruhi, and myself) weren't all that fluent in English. _

_I winced when my back came into contact with the elegantly painted wall, tearing at the now-scabbing scar on my shoulder._

"_G-gome-"_

"_Shut up, bitch. How the hell do you actually get off on throwing yourself on to those fake asses? Ne? Do you take THAT much pride in the fact that you're able to simply __**throw**__ yourself at someone's feet, and they seem to swoon all over you? Even the little cross-dresser looks like she's wrapped up by you. You're horrible, Ko – truly a disgrace to mom and dad," what made those words worse? Yuu spoke in slow, deliberate words in clear Japanese; as if he were talking to a special child. One that couldn't understand why her parents weren't going to be home for Christmas, or why her brother suddenly could only be there during the day, or why her twin brother would suddenly hit her, out of the blue, for no apparent reason._

_With a glance to make sure that the two of us were truly alone, Yuu took the opportunity to slap the already bruised cheek. My head whipped to the side – no one saw. With his other hand, Yuu punched the other cheek, a small bit of the white powder rubbing off on his fist. I yelped, bringing my head down, and his knee came up, colliding with my jaw bone. I bit my tongue. _

_With a rush of bravery (and the fact that I didn't feel like being a punching bag for much longer – the twins had worked hard to fix my hair and get this dress) I kicked my brother with my heeled shoe. He gagged and keeled to the right, and I fled to my left. _

_The shoes were gone in an instant (no straps) and I was flying down the hallway, twisting and turning, not really trying to find the ballroom or balcony. I really just wanted to lose Yuu while I could. And maybe find Haruhi so I could ask to sleep in her room tonight. My face throbbed as I ran out the open glass doors, finding myself in the luscious courtyard I had been staring at moments ago. I hadn't noticed until I'd stopped for a moment, but…_

_Tears were pouring out of my eyes. _

_I began to run again, my sides now aching. How long had I been running in that stupid manor?_

_Something inside me gave way, and I stumbled underneath a small bridge. I struggled to catch my breath when I heard Tamaki's yelling from the balcony._

'_Well, at least he's doing well…' I thought begrudgingly, 'but… but why – why can't I breathe?'_

_My body shook slightly, from both the force of my sobs and the anxiety of not being able to breathe._

'_Oh hell no…'_

_My heart clenched, stopping for longer than normal. I wanted to scream, to cry out for someone; Tamaki, Kaoru, Mori – anyone. Hell, Kyouya would be nice about now. I just needed… someone to know…_

"_**Would you have been able to call for help?**__" Kaoru's words rang in my head. _

"_Youko? Yo –Youko! __**Kaoru!**__ I found her!" there's a voice… and footsteps? Someone's hand on my shoulder, and then more around me._

"_Youko…? Look up at me, Youko. Ko!" I couldn't bring myself to look up. I couldn't breathe, my heart hurt – wait… it hasn't started to beat again…_

"_Ko! No! Look __**up**__ at me!"_

"_Hikaru! Kaoru! What's going on…?"_

"_She can't breathe!"_

"_Is Ko-chan gonna be alright?"_

"_Youko, look at me; it'll be alright."_

"_MY DAUGHTER!"_

"_Shut up!"_

"_I'll call an ambulance."_

"_Youko, hang on. I'm here…"_

**(A/N: The order of that (because when I looked at this a while ago, it confused me too) is: Hikaru found her, then Kaoru. The order of the speaking is; Kaoru, Haruhi, Kaoru, Hani, Kaoru, Tamaki, Hikaru, Kyouya, and Kaoru again. Just saying. All those Kaorus may not be Kaoru though. It just sounded like something he'd say…)**

I woke up at nine that morning – my back ached like a mo-fo and my shoulder was (once again) a bloody pulp. Yuu obviously didn't understand the meaning originality. I'd just have to tell Tamaki or Kaoru or someone to make sure that my costume had long sleeves. Again.

I stretched myself out, back arching like a lithe cat. I winced when everything popped back into place. Even my jaw.

_Asshole punched me._

Yawning, I sat up and slowly – sorely – walked over to the dresser. My room – the one I was forced to share with Yuu – was small, not fairly clean, and sparsely furnished. The mirror was rather large, though. And as I stared at myself through it, I realized how much I wanted out. I glanced at my pale complexion; everyone was bound to notice the fact that my eyes had bags under them. My hair was scraggly and greasy. It happens when I don't take a shower. Dipping my head a bit, I could even see the root rot had grown out even more… yeesh. Curse fast-growing hair. My grey-lilac eyes were the only thing separating myself from my brother, aside from hair colour. Even they seemed dull.

"Yup," I told myself, "I really need a shower."

**AN: **

**Woo... second chapter. I'm trying to keep them 3,000-4,000 words a chapter. Bite sized pieces.**

**I guess 3,500 isn't really bite sized, ne?**

**Anyways; I just wanted to update. The next chapter will be Kaoru's POV. And then the next? THE FAIR! WOOO Finally! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Kaoru's POV (A/N: Yup, another 19 pages of Kaoru's POV. Just kidding. Maybe)**

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. I was well aware of the fact that it was after two. P.M. In the afternoon. I had missed breakfast, lunch, and probably afternoon tea.

_Why do we even have tea? We aren't English._

My thoughts held bitterness, not only towards the disgusting tea that the maids had ordered for myself and my twin, but also at Hikaru himself. He had, once again, just ran off with (not just Haruhi) the Host Club, saying that I should stay home and recover from the migraine I had.

It never left.

I spent nights worrying about stupid little things; if Hani would ever grow (1), what the theme for the next Hosting session would be, if Hikaru brushed his teeth (we shared the same bed, I don't want to smell his morning breath), what college I was going to apply to, where the other Host Club member were going to do after high school, and… other things. Stupid things.

And then I worried about more paranoid things. Whether or not Hikaru was getting molested, for one thing. I'm not sure why I even think about that. (We're twisted) If Youko was alright.

_I hadn't taken into thought the fact that there had been a thump from the dressing room Youko was in. I must've just figured that she was having issues with her jacket or something. _

_After digging around in a few boxes, I found a roll of red gauze, something that could cover up that… horrible mark on Youko's shoulder. The image was still clear in my mind; I could vaguely see the bruise winding its way up over her collar bone and under the gauze she had wrapped around it. Since her back was to me, I saw… part of the gory sight she hadn't managed to wrap. It was obvious she had done the wrapping herself. It just looked so… __**painful**__. It wasn't done on accident, either. I was positive someone or something had caused her... wound? Mark? Really... disgusting thing... The thought made my heart clench - Ko was part of the Host Club, so she was family!_

_**Bah, who cares? She's just a chick. She'll be gone by the end of next semester, and she wouldn't give you a second glance anyways.**_

'_Shut up.'_

_I tried to make my mind wander to other things… and everything wound up straight back to Youko. I couldn't even think about Hikaru without coming to the conclusion of 'he had Haruhi, I had Youko.' I didn't 'have' Youko. _

'_This is ridiculous…'_

_I took my time, seeing as we had two hours before club activities even started – the sleeve wouldn't take too long to sew onto the jacket anyways._

"_Youko?" I said, "Youko? I'm coming in agai -…" I had already opened the curtain a ways, the guaze wrapped in my arms. The sight I saw was… not normal. Her – Youko's – back was twisted in an odd way, her eyes closed, and her shoulder ripped open and bleeding._

_Dropping the gauze, I immediately abandoned all thoughts, running to the younger girl on the ground. Youko was too light as I gathered her in my arms. One touch, I might have broken her. She wasn't breathing – I couldn't find a pulse in her arm… or neck… and -_

"_It's okay," I choked out, holding her closer. OmiGod… someone could die. In my arms. Right now._

_My eyes wide with shock, I let her go with a yelp, and ran towards the sound of a door opening._

"_Call the ambulance! Kyouya! Call the hospital! Hurry! Youko! Y-y-dah…," I gasped for air. How was the music room so long? The dressing areas seemed like forever ago._

"_Kaoru," the Shadow King had a scolding tone to his voice, as if he didn't believe me, "calm down. Now what is it? What about Youko?"_

_This method was taking too long. She could die before I got around to being able to talk normally. So, with an angered sigh and a quick yank of my arm, I had infiltrated Kyouya's pocket and pulled out a fancy cellphone. His own hospital was first on his speedial, right next to Boss's number._

'_High tech freak…'_

_I ran straight back to the dressing and resumed holding Ko. Her breathing had resumed - only it was coming and going in short gasps. The bandages that had been hastily tied together on her shoulder had fallen in her thrashing on the ground. _

_Bile rose in my mouth at the horrible, garrish marr on Ko's shoulder blade. _

_"Kaoru, they're here to take Ko. Go and make sure you can find Yuu and tell him that she's been injured," I looked behind me to find a very solemn Kyouya._

_"She isn't injured, though! She -" _

_"Ko has had a major heart attack. She's prone to them. Her body is either overwhelmed with stress or something else has been given to her in order for her body to shut down. She has no control over it," he stated cooly. How could he be so insensitive? _

_"Bu-"_

_"Both Ko and Kyuki have told the hospital that Yuu is to remain in the dark of her condition. Her reasons for this are unknown, though."_

_A few minutes later, Youko was taken to the Ootori's hospital. Her black (dyed?) hair was making her pale skin even plaer – I'm still not quite sure how I had managed to mistake her for a boy… Upon closer inspection, I found her lips to be blue. Blue. She wasn't breathing. She hadn't been… for a long time. Not enough. _

_The paramedics said that she'd make it._

_I couldn't find Yuu at all._

That day scared me beyond belief. And later on, at the hospital, when she woke up… She brushed her illness off as if it was nothing. I had been in the room because the doctors had asked me questions – weather or not she was breathing when I had found her, if she had a pulse, how long she was out, what she had eaten. That sort of thing.

And she brushed it off like it was nothing. Like she wouldn't die soon. Like she could do anything.

_Its why she doesn't run around. Its why she can't enjoy water parks or roller coasters._

And her brother; her own _twin _seemed to not so much as care for her safety. How else would the younger host wind up with so many bruises? Her shoulder had been ripped open on numerous occasions. I could see bruises on her face. Youko flinched if someone touched her. Her eyes were wide with alertness; with fear.

How could anyone mistake her for a boy?

Her hair wasn't particularly short; it had grown out a lot, actually. Her face looked more doe-ish than masculine.

_**Haruhi doesn't look masculine either, you dolt. **_

_Shut up._

I guess, though, if you cut your hair a certain way, slap a male uniform and glasses on – the girl's at Ouran might just be stupid enough to think you're a guy.

_**Besides… her debt isn't as bad as Haruhi's. She'll be gone in two more months. You heard Kyouya.**_

_Shu-_

*Ring* Stupid cell phone… wait… that's not mine…

"Uh… hello?" I answered Hikaru's cell phone for him, since he obviously had mine. Again.

"Kaoru?" it was Youko, and my heart rate went up… considerably, "Why do you have Hikaru's phone…?" her voice was cute when she was hesitating –_**stop it!**_- "Anyways, you don't have to answer that. I'm here at the house with Boss and I just wanted to know if you'd come over early? I wanna show you somethin'!"

I laughed; Ko was such a child sometimes. And an enigma… she never seemed to want to say anything that could reveal the whole plan. But why was Boss there?

"Yeah, Ko… I'll be there in… uh… an hour," I mumbled half-heartedly.

"Alright! See you then!" with a click, she hung up.

_**SWEEEETT!**_

**Ok. Tiny moment of awkwardness. I've stayed true to the series and haven't made Mori speak once! XD He talks in the next chapter, though. I know I said that it would be the fiar, but I lied. We start to go to the fair though! And I know it was short, but I didn't feel like writing that much as Kaoru. There will be other times that I write as him, though. The sweeter moments, more than likely. This is a romance after all...**

**Soo. A few thing that I need to comment on.**

**REVIEW! Pleeassee? _It makes me feel more like writing when you do! _**

**Also, there aren't going to be many more chapters to this. This was intended to be a one shot, but when I started to look at it for uploading, it was already 12,000 words long. That's a little too long for a one shot, and it was only a little bit after this. **

**And we aren't even talking about getting to the fair yet.**

**PLUS! (If there is any confusion)  
Yuu is an ass. I made him an ass for a reason. The whole reason will be revealed eventually. I'm not great at writing abuse scenes yet though so I left a lot tot he imagination. No, Kyuki doesn't know what is going on in his own home. All the flashbacks are instances I had written out in longer versions in case I was actually going write a series. But I don't think I will. Not a long one, that is. That's why there is one in every chapter, to give you background information on Youko's and Yuu's relationship with the rest of the Club.**

**S.**


	4. Chapter 4

After my shower, I had resigned to calling Tamaki instead of Kaoru or the local salon. My brothers wouldn't be home for another few hours and I didn't really feel like going to the market. They wanted food? They could go and find it! Not that hard…

ANYWAYS! As Tamaki arrived at my really… humble (it was small compared to his estate… which wasn't the main one) abode I was just patching up the last of my shoulder's newest wound and covering the now purple skin on my jaw with a pale concealer. After throwing on a long-sleeved jacket, I answered the door with a smile only I could fake.

"Yo, boss!" I greeted, "You got the goods?"

He nodded, an unsure look on his face. In his hands were two things; a bag, and a box of dye.

"Uhm… Youko – are you sure you –"

"Tamaki Suoh! (Boss flinched) … Of course!" I finished sweetly. Tamaki was so much fun to fluster!

_Oh… and there he goes – more mushrooms._

"Tamaki… C'mon, let's hurry. I want Kaoru to come over afterwards while… not everybody is breathing down my throat, mkay? Its… noon? Now? Yeesh… Anyways – just dye it already."

And so that's how the albino-i-sation of Youko Makumoto began.

"_Hey you! Wh – whoa…" I yelled… and then stuttered hopelessly. Standing at the gate was Hikaru and Kaoru – dressed in oddly normal clothes. And behind them? The rest of the Host Club. Equally as normal and as scary._

"_My darling daughter Youko! We've come to take you to the parrrrk!" …_

'_Why does boss insist on flashing the fact that he is CLEARLY a wizard from Hogwarts?' I thought, mentally sweatdropping and sighing as my Boss twirled and disappeared from one place to another._

"_Yeah…" Haruhi mumbled – I noticed she was dressed in a cute little yellow top and a pink skirt… who knew the girl could dress as one!_

"_Soo… uhm… why exactly are yo-"_

"_My dearest Youko, we are here to escort you and your brother to the water park that Kyouya's family owns!" Tamaki-sempai included a few twirls in that one._

_I sighed, but without further struggle, clambered into the limo with the twins on either side of me. Their bored faces did nothing to help me feel… less awkward._

"_Hey, Ko-chan!" Hani-sempai's voice carried over Tamaki's flustered shouts of Haruhi's despondence, and the way he sat like a cute little child just made him… too cute. And it looked like he was chewing on the ear of his Usa-chan, but who knows? He may have been._

"_Yes, Hani-sempai?"_

"_Where is Yuu-chan? Does he not want to have fun, too?" he said, pouting his lower lip out. _

'_I'm so soft…'_

"_He's… not feeling well today, Hani-sempai," I said somewhat uneasily. _

_I didn't fail to realize that Kaoru's gaze had shifted to me, and was now glaring at me with a look that demanded an explanation. I glared right back, maybe a little bit more harsh than I had intended it to be, because Kaoru's head dipped to where I couldn't see his eyes anymore._

_**Rich people are so easy to fluster and anger. Aren't you glad you aren't one of them, Youko?**_

'_When did you materialize? That way, I can go find a magic car, speed back in time, and prevent it from ever happening!'_

_All those wars raging inside my mind were going to be the death of me one day._

_The Ootoris really had decided to drabble in just about everything the medicinal avenue of work had. Apparently, his water park was just as thrilling as it was relaxing. Which was good. I didn't need thrilling in my life, apparently._

_**Of course! Because the thrill of not knowing if you're going to wake up or not is an amazing rush of adrenaline that everyone needs in their life!**_

'_What are you? My inner Yuu?'_

_The whole club – minus Yuu – had split up and was wondering around the park. It had long since opened to the public and people were bustling all over the place – tourists included._

_As Haruhi, Tamaki, and myself were strolling along a particularly wet path, Tamaki had spotted something off in the distance. _

"_Let's ride that one! My daughters, don't you think this will be just wonderful?" He spun around and took one of our hands in his before batting an eyelash… gosh… he's gay. Maybe. I looked from him to Haruhi, and gave an apologetic smile._

"_Uhm… you guys go on, ok? I think I'm going to go find lunch…" I muttered to Haruhi, who smiled knowingly and (reluctantly) ran off to make sure that the Host King didn't… kill someone. Or himself. That whole magic disappearing act could wind up back firing one day._

_As I wondered around the park by myself, I instantly regretted choosing to be dressed up by the twins. I had become their play-thing over the course of the two months I'd been in the Host Club. In the after-hours of the club, they would either split and one take Haruhi and one take me, or target of us both at the same time and attempt to primp us. We had turned into regular dolls to them. And today? No different. It was either agree, or disagree and watch them pout (even though it was cute as hell) and then eventually get pounced. Hikaru and Kaoru had chosen to put me in some strappy two-piece that was white with red Celtic crosses and other designs on it… and even though I liked it, I was awefully self-concious. The scar on my shoulder had just started to heal well enough to not have to wear long-sleeves. Other scars lingered on my stomach from cuts and… other instances, and the longer, jagged scar from my surgery two years ago. _

_It didn't help that the twins had refused my (perfectly reasonable) plea for swim trunks._

_Nor did it help that people were staring._

_As I sat down at a smaller table, I noted just how much a sandwich was at one of these stupid parks. Six dollars. For a sandwich. I could buy enough supplies to make twenty sandwiches for five dollars!_

'_God… rich peoples are so flamboyant about their money. Guess I won't be buying anything to eat.'_

_**That's right, be-**_

'_Shut it. Now.'_

_I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair, making sure to cross my arms to that they covered both my boobs and part of my scarred stomach. Gosh, I felt like a mother who has had a c-section. All the scarring… even though most were just fine, white lines… there were a lot of fine white lines on really pale skin. So that's like… blinding white stripes on porcelain skin. _

_My self-consciousness was acceptable._

_"Mmffha!" I cried out as a towel suddenly came into contact with my face. I ripped the offending cloth off my face and glared at a young man a few feet away from me. He was laughing and joking with two other oafs – clearly at me – and I seethed._

_Visibly._

_With a loud and angered sigh I stood up, knocking over my chair. It took all of three steps to reach the three men and, with little to no effort, I swung my arm around and connected it to the perpetrator's face. I wasn't in a particularly pleasant mood, what with the inevitable taunting from both twins, the yelling I was to get from Kaoru as soon as we were alone (for running off by myself. He taken it upon himself to ensure that I was never alone when the Host Club went out on their weekly excursions) and also from wearing this God forbidden bikini! _

_"What the hell, bitch? You wanna start something?" He said in a very bad American accent. Must be from the south._

_"No, I'm not starting anything, baka, you did. With a towel. Hasn't anyone ever taught you how to treat a lady decently? Oh, and do you have a passport?" I asked in rapid succession. Dodging (barely) an attempt at striking me down with his fist. He had really big hands…_

_'Where's Kyoya? Or one of his two hundred policemen. Either would be nice…' I thought as one of the offender's buddies began to laugh._

_"You're a feisty little whore, ain't ya? How'd you get all those scars, anyways?" I went to slap him, but only managed to get myself trapped between the other accomplice and the perpetrator._

_Well damn, I was screwed._

I smiled at the memory. The three were legally able to go to jail, and go to jail they did. Hani and Mori had arrived soon after I was punched (twice) and whipped all three clear off their feet. Kyoya had them arrested, and I do believe that the three are still in jail for sexual harassment. And their passports were taken.

But I sure as hell got a mouth full of it from Mori… or as much of a mouth full Mori could manage.

_I stood, still seething, and Mori silently checked me over to make sure I was alright. I checked out all clear._

_"You should've called for one of us."_

_I nearly balked visibly. I hadn't heard Mori-senpai speak very much… and now he was scolding me? Bah!_

_"Uh… but I don't –"_

_"Kaoru isn't the only one worried about you."_

_Oh. So that's what this is about? Fine. I could show him!_

_"Mori-senpai, I don't need your help all the time! I would've been fine, They'd have gotten bor-"_

_"After how long, Youko?"_

_"Who are you now, Kaoru? My father? Helloo~! My father's **dead**!" I growled out._

_Mori didn't say anything after that._

I hated yelling. I really did. But when someone goes on about how helpless I supposedly am, what was I gonna do? Stand by, nod, and agree? No. Because I wasn't helpless. I'd made it sixteen years without help! I could make it another fifty!

"Uhh… Youko?" I heard. I snapped my head up, spraying a little bit of white on Tamaki's black shirt.

"Oops! Sorry boss! (queue sheepish grin) What happened? Are we done? I'll clean that up la-"

"It's fine, Youko. (queue dazzling smile ((that wasn't affective on me.))) Time to wash your hair, though. I need you to stand."

"Oh…"

And so we proceeded to wash my hair, and then Tamaki cut it. That's what I was nervous about. I'd rather have Kaoru cut my hair. At least he seemed to know what he was doing. Although Tamaki wasn't nearly as spastic as he normally was today, he still seemed a little like a bumbling fool.

Let's just hope I wouldn't regret the decision.

**A/N:**

**Well, that took forever. And its not even long. :( I'm so sorry. But I have marching band practive every stupid day. And then I'll be at flipping football games after that. Color guard is soooo tiring.**

**BTW: There are two other fics that will go along with this XD. But I need you to tell me something (HOLY SHITE MY LEGS ARE IN THAT REALLY BAD PART OF AWAKENING FROM SLEEP) really important.**

**Would you rather have one about Mori, or Kyouya?**

**Either way, they'll probably be OOC...**

**TELL ME WHAT YOU THIIINK!**

**S.**


	5. Important to the Life of This Story!

**ATTN:**

**I am well aware that it has been well over a few years since I have updated this story. With those three years, I've gone through a personal hell and back. But I'm ready to come back to the community – so long as there is interest in this story.**

**I am currently on spring break, if I get enough interest in this story once more, I'll bang out the next few chapters this week for all of you **

**I've several other stories that are ready to go up, as well.**

**This, however, will take top priority over the others this week seeing as this fiction is so old and is one of my best works.**

**Please please please – if you want this to have a quick revival, PM or review your thoughts!**


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